From scratches in the mammoth's hide and bite marks in the tail it looks like the mammoth, known as Yuka, was chased by lions. Not long before death, Yuka also appears to have fallen, breaking a hind leg.

Humans apparently butchered the strawberry-blond beast, taking what they wanted. Clues to the role humans played in slaughtering Yuka include the absence of the skull, spine, ribs and pelvis. In addition, the shapes and patterns of the cuts indicate the use of human tools.

It's possible that people intentionally used the lions to wear down their prey and then drove the lions off to harvest the meat for themselves. Even now, a tribe in Kenya called the Dorobo steals prey from lions.

After taking what they could immediately use, suggests Fisher, the humans may have buried the animal with plans of returning later. "What remains now would then be 'leftovers' that were never retrieved," he suggested to the Discovery Channel.